


The First Five Days

by mandaree1



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: 'Cause she's Jasper, But seriously let Connie take a nap or something, Connie is having A Bad Time, Gen, Jasper managed to escape, Lapis is set to make pretty much everybody's lives miserable, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 19:30:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6390223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandaree1/pseuds/mandaree1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(AU). Lapis regenerates in Steven's bathroom; the official main redemption hub. The waters been cut, so she has no weapons. Jasper is... classified. And her only company is her guard, an injured human girl with a sword by her side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

Lapis regenerates in a room that was once full of water. There's a certain clinging dampness to it, like it hadn't been dried before her arrival, but when she reaches for any useful amounts of liquid, it's all out of her reach.

She sluggishly gets to her feet. Her plan is to run out the door and race to the beach- if she's fast enough, she might make it outside- but the doorway is blocked.

"Hello, miss Lazuli." The human girl, who had been patiently examining the blade of a sword, slips the weapon back into its scabbard and stands up to greet her, blocking her path through the doorway. Lapis doesn't doubt this was on purpose.

"Where's Steven?" She demanded. Her throat feels like she swallowed sand.

"Persuading the gems to let him visit you. With all due respect, miss Lazuli, Steven could be face to face with the worst creature imaginable- man, beast, gem, or otherwise- and still invite them in for dinner, so they aren't sure if it's safe."

"I'd never hurt Steven!" She snapped, enraged. The human girl calmly nodded her head.

"I know that. The gems do too, deep down. Give them some time."

She didn't say anything more than that, resolutely staring at the wall as though awaiting more questions. Lapis didn't disappoint. "Jasper?"

"Classified." She said curtly.

"Classified?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's practically the only thing I _can't_ tell you."

She felt even more angry, but reminded herself that this was just a human, and they were known to follow orders unless told otherwise. She'd have to talk to Steven to get any real answers. "Where are the gems?"

"Fixing the town and patroling, but don't get any ideas. A gem is stationed at the house at all times."

Lapis blinked at her. "Then what's the point of having you here?" She asked bluntly.

"I'm here to guard you, miss Lazuli. More gempower for everything else, that way." She shrugged.

"But you're just a human." She pointed out. She expected outrage, but the girl didn't seem very surprised by her reaction.

"Yes, ma'am. But I could do some damage in the time it'd take to bring me down. Also, I'd alert the gems by making a commotion, and _they_ could take you down. Make no mistake, miss Lazuli. They don't want to hurt anybody, but if you kill me, they _will_ crush you."

Lapis ignored the threat. She's already in dangerous territory here; it wasn't very surprising that they were jumping at the bit to off her completely. "My name is Lapis Lazuli. _Not_ 'miss.'"

"Of course." She nodded her head. "Miss is a term of respect on earth. Then again, now that I think about it, things are probably different on Homeworld in that respect..."

"Well, I don't like it."

"Okay. I'll call you Lapis, then."

The blue gem eyed the girl, taking in her battered appearance, ripped clothes, and frazzled hair. Her right shoulder was covered in a white wrapping that was stained with red, and her left ankle was the same. Lapis could only imagine what other injuries she was hiding under her clothing, but the human carried herself with a sort of grim pride, like they were merely things that could be shaken off and ignored.

That reminds her. "Were any humans hurt?"

The human girl stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"I may not like this planet, but I have no quarrel with the humans. I'm _not_ Jasper."

 _No, but you were Malachite_. She can sense the girl thinking, but she wisely doesn't voice it. "No humans were injured. We evacuated the town. Gave them a good scare, though. It was like something out of a film."

Lapis doesn't know what that is, and makes a mental note to ask later. "Was _Steven_ injured?"

"Of course not." She said briskly, a hint of a scoff in her voice. "You're alive, aren't you?"

Lapis narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything more.

They spend the rest of the night in silence.


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie is injured and too proud to admit just how much she needs a break.

Connie is well aware that her bluff is rather see-through.

For one thing, the gem 'stationed' at the Temple is Peridot, who is busy snapping at people and repairing her damaged limb enhancers, when Garnet isn't ordering her to help with the odd repair. Peridot is- mostly- on their side, but completely useless when her weapons are broken. She's also deathly afraid of Lapis Lazuli when she isn't in a jail cell and is in the general vicinity of water. So no backup there.

Any struggle Connie could put up would be short-lived. She hasn't slept or eaten in over a day now, and while she's been doing her best to ignore it, she _hurts_. She'd been planing on asking Steven to heal her when he wasn't busy, but then she'd been given the order to guard the bathroom, and she hadn't gotten the chance since.

(Steven's idea, actually. "She'd never attack a human, and she won't freak out as bad as she would with Garnet or the others. Please, Connie? I know you're tired, but..." _Dangit, Steven_.)

And if Lapis did decide to off her, she seriously doubted they'd kill her. Maybe if it were Steven, but not her. Steven would never allow them to kill a gem in vengeance; he just wasn't the type for revenge.

But, she reminded herself, Lapis _didn't_ know the gems. And since she didn't know the gems, she might be more prone to believe the worst-case scenario Connie had laid out in order to protect her life.

The night after her initial questioning is long, tiring, and awkward. Connie stares ahead and does her best not to feel discouraged.

_You're a knight; you do your job. Idle chatter isn't part of that job._

Eventually a knock sounded on the door. Thankful to have a reason to stand- her legs had been growing numb- Connie does her best to look like she was expecting the call, nimbly getting to her feet.

"I'll be right outside the door, so don't think about escaping." She warned her. The blue gem narrowed her eyes but stayed deathly still as she opened the door and shut it tightly behind her.

"Here." Green hands shoved a basic first aid kit into her face. A book she'd already read was haphazardly placed on top of the pile. "Your master told me to give this to you."

"Thank you." She gratefully took the supplies. She'd tried explaining that there was a difference between 'master' and 'mentor', but the gem just couldn't seem to distinct the two words from each other. "How're the repairs going?"

Peridot gives her a perfectly deadpan look. "You're taller than me. How do you think repairs are going?"

"Ah. Good luck, then."

She didn't reply, looking around her at the closed door. "Has she... regenerated?"

"Yes." She almost added ma'am, out of habit, but Peridot had never really struck her as a 'ma'am.'

"Oh." She immediately stepped back. "I'm not going to press my luck."

Connie nodded her goodbye and went back into the bathroom, locking the door behind her in order to give Peridot a little piece of mind. Lapis could easily break open the door, true, but she knew the green gem would appreciate the sentiment.

Lapis was bristling with fear and anger, staring at the door warily. "You've taken Peridot prisoner?"

"Yes and no." She sat down and opened the box, pulling out some fresh bandages. "We only unlock her weapons for battle, but she's allowed to be on her own so long as she doesn't try anything."

"You trust her enough to not restrain her?" Her tone was scathing.

" _Steven_ trusts her. Besides, she's not doing any harm."

She unwound the bandage on her shoulder. Lapis still wasn't convinced. "She just hasn't had the chance." She persisted. "She might have done something to those things, even."

"Peridot doesn't know how to sabotage things as simple as these. I _doubt_ she's planning on betraying us." Connie said firmly.

"You don't know that."

"Well, considering the fact I _know_ my 'master' hasn't been home since the battle and she'd have brought me something I hadn't read- or, better yet, homework- if she _had_ been, I think it's safe to assume."

Lapis didn't answer. She curled her lip at the sight of the dirty bandage. "What _is_ that stuff?"

"Blood." She answered curtly, pulling out some swabs and rubbing alcohol. It was all she could do not to scream when it met her wound. "Humans need it to survive."

"But you're still alive." She pointed out.

"Humans need to lose more than this to die." She said. Connie slowly re-wrapped her shoulder. "To be honest, I should probably see a medic."

"Steven can heal." She reminded her.

"Steven's busy. Stitches are plenty for now, so long as I don't move it too much."

"With Jasper?"

Connie bit her lip, unwrapping her ankle. There's a small cut on the side, but mostly it's just a really bad bruise. The saying 'walk it off' came to mind. "I told you, that's classified."

 _And not just from you_ , she thought. Jasper had managed to force a regeneration and flee while they were busy tending to Lapis. The gems were certain she was too weak to have gotten far, but she was adept at finding cover. Another reason she'd agreed to this job; more gem-power for the search party.

The fact that Jasper was 'classified' was one of the few reasons Lapis hadn't busted out by now. Another part of an elaborate bluff.

She's too _tired_ for this crud.

Lapis grunted and eyed her battered arm. She's too busy with the wrap on her waist- bruised ribs, she's sure, along with cuts and bruises- to say anything.

"That's your sword arm."

Connie hesitated. "I can use both." Which isn't a lie.

"But that's your _main_ fighting arm. And it's injured." Lapis persisted. She sounded oddly calm. "You're weaker than you're letting on, aren't you?"

She briefly considers trying to save face, but decided to heck with it and nodded. "I am. Is that a threat or just curiosity driving you?" She got to her feet and drew her sword, ignoring the pain throbbing in every one of her limbs at the speedy action. "Because I can still fight if I need too."

Lapis crossed her legs and settled in more comfortably in the bottom of the bathtub. "You can relax. I'm not leaving until I get some answers."

Connie quietly sinks to the floor and tries not to look too grateful.

 


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis is scared of mirrors. Connie isn't scared to bleed.

Three days in; still no food, water, sleep, or interesting conversations.

Connie desperately wished Steven was here, even if it would only bring on yet another plethora of problems. He's fun and easy to talk to; a constant reminder of why she swore to be a knight in the first place. At times like these, it's only her self-control and nagging anxiety that serve as her metaphorical reminders.

She knew there was nothing to be anxious about. What could Lapis do- kill her? Every enemy they came across wanted to do that. The fear had faded, mostly thanks to Pearl's tireless training. People who joined The Crystal Gems _had_ to put the Earth first and themselves last. It was an important part of the code they abide by, a code she- admittedly- was planning on being properly sworn into once she was a bit older, a bit more useful. And maybe get a star tattoo afterwards- as the insignia was almost as important as the code itself. Jewelry can get lost easily, and her clothes aren't something she can repair with magic like the gems. A tattoo was the simplest solution.

(Sorry. She tends to ramble a bit when she's tired.)

But, still. The knowledge that a foreign enemy is only a few feet away and capable of taking her out with her pinkie finger should it happen to rain puts her on edge. And, sure, Lapis hasn't left the bathtub since she emerged, so she's probably just as interested in keeping the peace as she is, but her mind constantly went back to her presence and what happened the _last_ time they'd met. She didn't dare mess with her sword for fear of putting the gem on edge, but itched to grab the familiar handle and see the sharp steel shine in the florescent lighting.

So she did the next best thing; she cracked open the book Peridot brought her and started to read.

That doesn't help very much, honestly, but it gave her tired eyes something to focus on as the night slowly became day once again.

 _I hope they realize I can't keep this up forever..._ She thinks, then shakes her head and straightens her shoulder. _I'll do it as long as I need to. They trust me to carry out orders, and I can't let them down._

"What are you doing?"

Connie looks up from her book. "Reading." She answers dryly. "We humans may be a bit behind the times, relatively speaking, but we have discovered written language."

"Obviously." Lapis dismisses, eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't speak as well as you do otherwise."

She feels a slight twinge of irritation, but forces herself to ignore it. "On Earth, we make up stories and write them down. It's not all reports and cave drawings here."

"Why?" She asks bluntly, blinking in confusion.

"Why what?"

"Why write things that aren't true? It's just a bunch of lies, then. Useless."

Connie is well aware that gems are a very literal species, to the point they probably wouldn't be able to comprehend the point of using ones imagination on a daily basis, _if_ they even know what that is, so she spares those details and tells her what she told the others when they asked. "It's a good time waster. Being entertained is an important thing here, and reading is one way we entertain ourselves."

She still doesn't look convinced. Connie holds the book out. "Do you want to give it a try?"

Lapis reaches for it, then hesitates and snatches her hand back. Connie blinks at her; she's not been the best company, true, but she hasn't given Lapis any reason to be afraid of her. The gems, yes, but not her. The blue gem had seemed fully aware of the fact that she was a human, and therefore, by Homeworld's standards, a lesser being.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

She gives her a disgusted look. "Of course not. You're weak and small." She spits the words, obviously angry and scared, but Connie doesn't take any offense. She heard worse from Peridot when they'd first met.

"Then what's wrong?"

Lapis holds her gaze, obviously too prideful to admit what's bothering her- a concept Connie is admittedly familiar with-, but she catches her glancing at the sink out of the corner of her eye.

Connie blinks but doesn't say anything. It's just a sink; all the combs and such have been put away, so there's no way for her to assume there's any weapons within grabbing distance perched there. Not unless you counted the mirror.

"Oh." Duh.

Well, she can't have that, can she? Connie slowly gets to her feet, ignoring the stab of dizziness she feels from the lack of food. Right- she's gonna have Peridot take a shift later so she can snooze on the couch and maybe get a bite to eat. A tired and hungry soldier, after all, isn't a soldier at all.

Lapis tenses when she reaches for her sword, so she gently slips it out and sets it on the floor, giving her a warning look that tells her not to touch. She probably didn't know how to handle such a weapon- seeing how her main form of attack was elemental- and Connie isn't interested in having her get stabbed by accident. Blood or no blood, a wound is still a wound, and very much her responsibility.

Connie slowly makes her way over to the mirror, rears her arm back, and calmly smashes it with her elbow. She grunts, but otherwise holds in any other exclamations of pain.

Lapis let out a cry of alarm. "What are you _doing_?"

She calmly ignores the stabbing pain and pulls out the remaining pieces of the mirror. She hasn't critically injured herself, although digging the shards out of her arm later is going to hurt. "You didn't trust me with my sword." She explains, dropping the leftover shards into the sink. "This was the easiest way."

Lapis stares at the red lines trailing down her injured arm, which she leaves hanging rather than make the wound worse. She repeats her earlier statement; "I thought humans died from losing blood."

"It takes losing a lot more than this to kill someone." She says firmly. She grabs the sink to avoid swaying on her feet.

"But... why?"

"Because I'm here to _guard_ you, Lapis. Not to torture you, interrogate you, or hurt you; just to guard you. Not just from outside forces, but inside forces as well. It's a two-way street."

"Thank-" She pauses. "Wait, outside forces?"

Connie swallows heavily to fight off throwing up. "Anything and everything." She says, injecting fake lightness into her tone.

Lapis stares at her long and hard. "You don't know where she is, do you?"

Too late to fess up now. "I do."

She gets to her feet, no longer hindered by the invisible boundary line the mirror had set. "Then where is she?" She demands.

"Classified."

"I'm so _sick_ of getting that!" She balls her fists menacingly. Connie has no doubt that she could draw water from the very Earth itself if she feels like she has to.

She goes to grab her sword, stumbling on her feet. She slams into the wall, but doesn't make a sound. Lapis hesitates.

"Are you... dying?"

She's never seen a human die non-violently before, she remembers. She's bound to be curious about what it looks like. "Not yet."

"Oh. Then... what's wrong?"

To heck with it. "Humans need food, water, and sleep." Connie grunts, leaning against the wall. "And I haven't had any of which for three days now."

"On a regular basis?"

She nods. "At least once a day is typically recommended." She grabs her weapon and sways on her feet, suddenly realizing that the battle has been lost already. "I'm just gonna... go. Someone else will be here to guard you."

She stumbles out the door and shuts it tightly behind her. It's all she can take not to bemoan the loss of her pride.

 


	4. Day Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie rests, and shots are fired.

Human writings are strange.

Lapis tilts the book to the side, shrugs, and closes it. She was only halfway through, but it was too complicated to finish. She gingerly sets it on the floor.

It's not just their writings, she decides, standing up. Humans themselves are just strange. They act all weak and terrified, but then there's one with a sword flinging themselves at you like death is going out of style. Or at a stray mirror.

Climbing out of the bathtub- something she honestly enjoys sitting in because lingering moisture is everywhere, which makes her feel safe- Lapis heads for the door, pausing in front of the broken fixture in question. Its pieces are haphazardly scattered in the sink.

She remembers the girl drawing herself back with the same amount of disbelief she'd felt as she watched it happen the day before. She'd looked so... _calm_. Determined. This was her job, and she was going to do it, blood be darned. (She'd seen blood before, but had never known what to do with it. How much did a human have to loose, anyway? Drowning seemed like a much cleaner way to go.)

She'd even had the guts to challenge her, _knowing_ she was outmatched. Knowing she was weak. And then she'd had the ability to gather her wits and walk out the door, head held high.

She hasn't been back since.

Lapis isn't above admitting she misses the company. Lack of conversation aside, company is still company, and she'd been the first person she could talk to since Jasper. (Where _was_ Jasper, anyway?)

Speaking of company...

Lapis flings open the bathroom door, silencing the quiet voices she'd heard floating through the door. Peridot- tiny and helpless, she notices with satisfaction- squeaked pitifully and grabbed the purple gem's arm. They're sitting on the floor, so she probably felt even smaller than she already was. Good.

The purple gem allows the grip, chuckling as though she _isn't_ a potentially deadly creature hovering over her. "Hey."

"I thought I heard voices." She says smugly, fixing the green gem a dark look.

"I'd just like to say that this wasn't my idea." Peridot splutters. "Blame the permifusion."

"Oh, please. Garnet just told you to try and get along with her. She didn't say anything about _talking_ to each other." The other gem laughs. Peridot tries to wedge herself between her and the wall.

"Are you my guards?" She asks coldly, glaring at them. The purple one calmly pulls her ex-captor out from behind her and pats her shoulder.

"'Lax, Peri. There ain't any water around here for her to use." She smiles at her. "We're just temporary. No worries."

Peridot 'hmphs!' pointedly and jerks her arm towards the large ocean sitting just outside their doorstep.

"Alright, you got me there." She admits.

"You're not much of a guard." Lapis grunts. "The human is stronger than that one." She nods toward Peridot.

"Hey!" She jumps to her feet. "Just wait until I get my limb enhancers fully operational you-"

"Who says you're going to _live_ that long!?" She snaps, voice rising. The purple gem pushes her way between them.

"Both of you, shut it! You're gonna wake Connie."

Lapis blinks at her, long and slow. "What's a... Connie?"

The purple gem snorts. "She guarded you for three days and you never bothered to learn her name? _Nice. She's_ Connie, doofus."

She jerks her thumb towards the couch. The human girl is laying on it, flat on her back, eyes closed. She almost looks dead, but her chest is rising and falling slowly. There's newer, more professional grade bandages on her shoulder and other wounds.

"You're lucky she's exhausted. Otherwise, you would've been in big trouble. She might be human, but Connie can hold her own against a gem, 'specially when they don't have any weapons."

Lapis blinks at her still form. It was only a matter of time, she supposed, before the humans started giving themselves names. They'd discovered written and spoken language, after all. Even still, what kind of name is 'Connie'? "What is she doing?"

"Sleeping. It's a human way of recharging. Feels kinda nice, actually." She fixes her a scolding look. "If you're gonna try and kill each other, do it _quietly_ , 'kay?"

Peridot squawks indignantly. "Amethyst!"

"Chill, Peridot. I'm just joking."

Lapis stares at her a long moment- aren't Amethysts supposed to be a lot bigger than this?- before finally saying; "I don't get it. The last time I saw you, you looked like you wanted to kill somebody. Now you're joking with me."

Amethyst shrugs and holds up fingers. "One; I wanted to kill _Jasper_ , not you. Two; I'm actually pretty cool, so long as you don't hurt the little man. _Then_ we got problems. That's why I wanted to kill Jasper; she hurt the little man."

'The little man', she guesses, is Steven, remembering how protectively the gems had held him. "Why does everyone assume-"

Amethyst raises her hands in a 'don't shoot' gesture. "I'm not assuming nothin'. Steven's the one guy you _don't_ want to hurt, or so it seems. So we're cool."

Peridot eyes Connie. "Should we wake her up?"

"Why? Can't feel safe without a human around to protect you?" She sneers.

"Connie is a knight- a protector." She replied coolly. "That is her placement. She should do her job, so I can go do _mine_."

"You can play tech nerd later." Amethyst dismisses the idea. "Humans need to recharge."

"A truly mind-boggling shortcoming. How can they be expected to fulfill their roles if they have to stop every few hours and-" She shudders. " _Digest_ things?"

"Eh. They've lived this long, so it must work. That's about all I can tell you."

"You're defective, aren't you?" She asks suddenly. Amethyst's head whips to her, eyes flashing with hurt. Peridot's shoulders bunch.

"I hardly see how that's any business of yours, you smelly water clod!"

"Cool it, Peri." Amethyst bars her from stepping forward. "It's kinda obvious. Dunno why _I_ didn't realize it sooner." She fixes her a look that's decidedly more somber than anything she's seen on the gem's face before. She almost feels guilty. "Why're you asking?"

"I was trying to figure out why they made _you_ my temporary guard. The human, while weaker than us, is still capable of taking care of herself and standing her ground. You're decidedly less... mature."

"Thanks." She grunts.

"She's still loyal." Peridot snaps, crossing her arms. "She can still fulfill her role. That's what matters, isn't it?"

Lapis ignores her. "The human is recharging and Steven can't be trusted to do it, so they chose the least-threatening of them to guard me; so I didn't have a reason to pick a fight."

Peridot is still ranting angrily. Amethyst eyes her, posture oddly stiff, before nodding. "Probably."

The technician seems to choke on air. " _What_? You're going to let her get away with that?"

The kindergarten gem stares her down. Lapis half-expects her to draw her weapon, but she doesn't. Peridot awkwardly glances between the two of them.

"Put the human back on duty once she's recharged." She snapped, returning from whence she came. She slams the door behind her. Peridot winces; Connie twitches and rolls over.

"Man, she's dead to the world." Amethyst hums quietly. Peridot glares at her.

"So it's okay if _she_ does it, but not me?"

" _You_ were trying to befriend me. _She_ was trying to intimidate me. Big difference."

"I ought to order the knight to chop her limbs off once she's done resting." Peridot grumbles. It's no secret that she prefers the human's company on missions and around dangerous things like Lapis Lazuli; she's the only one of them that 'fits into their placement and can successfully take orders', in her opinion. "After three days in there, she'd probably do it, so long as her master hasn't forbidden combat."

Amethyst puts a hand on each of her shoulder and draws her away from the door. "Peri, don't pick fights with the enemy when you can't win."

"She's my _informant_!"

"She's the gem who'll squish you like a bug if she has the chance. Get over it."

Peridot grumbles and retrieves her tool box before sitting down, resolving to not put off repairs any longer, even if they aren't safe right outside the blue gem's door. "Just because I'm short doesn't mean I can't win."

"That's _exactly_ why you can't win. You don't know how to use the power of the short to your advantage."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst volunteered to be on guard duty, actually. She figured it'd give Garnet and Pearl more leeway to search.


	5. Day Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis leaves the bathroom.

The first thing Connie does is devour half of the pantry, chugging glasses of water inbetween bites. The belly ache to end all belly ache sets in not much later, but at this point she could care less. Amethyst whoops and cheers her on like it's an Olympic event.

Then came the nap. She almost forgoes it, but Amethyst volunteers to make sure their captive doesn't kill anyone in her sleep, and she's too tired to complain. Peridot, who self-consciously tip-toes across the room to sit next to her a few minutes after she lays down, will keep both of them on track.

It's dark out when she wakes up. Amethyst reports no changes- although her face tells Connie otherwise- and shoos her off to see her family. She'd already visited earlier for new bandages and professional stitching- also, to tell them she hadn't died-, but a shower and home cooked dinner is too good to ignore. Her mother does her best to be supportive, even while she's obviously freaking out for the duration of stitching up her wounds. Connie makes sure to give both her parents a hug on the way out the door. The story is still a bit too recent to tell.

She passes Steven on the way. No news, but they've certainly narrowed things down- _and are those bandages?_ Connie reassures him that the wounds are minor, even though they really aren't, before taking off. Running through Beach City at night is a lot less scary than some might expect it to be. It's soothing more than anything else.

Amethyst has taken her spot on the couch and is snoring loudly. Peridot sits by her side on the floor, fiddling with some wires. She'll be back to proper height soon enough, or so she suspects, remembering the bone-chilled look of horror on her face from the day before.

"I don't envy your position, knight." She says as she passes, as a sort of greeting.

"Neither do I."

"We both agree that any sounds of violence are to be ignored and go unreported." She gestures to herself and the sleeping purple gem. "I believe the proper Earth saying here is... 'have at it'?"

"That's the one." She agrees with a chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind."

She tries, in her own way. Connie gives her that much.

* * *

 

"It's... Connie, right?"

Connie stares at her a long moment, trying to decipher how she knew something she'd never told her, no doubt, before nodding. "Yes."

"Okay." She pauses. "The temps told me."

"Hmm." She glances at the wall. Lapis eyes the bandages on her arm and ankle; how long does it take for a human heal, anyway? Too long, or so it seemed. What about the ones she _couldn't_ see? Were they still there?

"Are those going to... I don't know... that human thing where the color changes?"

She furrows her brow thoughtfully. "You mean scar?"

"I don't know. Maybe?"

Connie stretches out her right shoulder, looking proud of the wounds underneath the white wraps. "Probably. But it's not anything I didn't expect, or can't cover up."

"You look like you don't _want_ to cover them up." She muses, eyeing the solidness of her stance and the pride in the way she held herself.

Connie shrugs. "All warriors have scars of one sort or another. I'm no different."

Lapis nodded. It's strange to see the girl at full strength. Before, where she'd been quiet and sullen, now she was talkative and happy. Her eyes shone with alertness. At first she'd seemed so still, as though to conserve energy, but the problem has obviously passed. She looked like it was taking all her willpower not to run and jump around. Instead she kept her gaze straight ahead, fingers twitching. Lapis wonders if she's fighting off the urge to practice her sword.

"How long has Peridot been here?"

Connie pauses. "A while? I'm not sure. I wasn't around when she first showed up." She doesn't elaborate.

"And she... tolerates you? All of you?"

"She doesn't mind my humanly presence, if that's what you mean. She just see me as a low-ranking guard. She also tends to bump heads with Garnet over fusion, but otherwise she's a neutral party."

Lapis blinks at her. It was hard to imagine Peridot being a neutral _anything_.

"She learning." She says finally, answering the unspoken question. "Slowly, but still."

"Or she's pretending."

"Believe what you want to believe." Connie answers. "It's not my job to make you change your mind."

Lapis paused. "What _is_ your job, anyway?"

"I told you- I'm your guard."

"But that's not your placement." Lapis knows just enough about Earth to know that humans aren't created for just one specific purpose. Connie would do more with her short existence than follow her around and break mirrors. "Peridot called you a knight."

Connie stares at her. "You spoke to Peridot?"

Lapis levels her a look, but doesn't answer. Connie sighs. "Yes, I'm a knight. My job is to protect the people I care about- my mentor- master, whatever-, my family, my liege, my friends. I fight for them; and, if necessary, I die for them."

"But you still take their orders." She points out. She certainly doesn't have a close enough relationship with her to fight to the death in order to keep her safe. "Even if they're not the right ones."

"Of course. Anything to do my part- no matter how small that part actually is."

"So you're a warrior... and a protector?" That was two completely different jobs classification; gems who held up the metaphorical walls and the ones who tore up the battlefield in fits of rage. Of course, this isn't about anger; Connie didn't trust a single hair on her head, but she hadn't taken her head off for it.

"You can be both." She agrees, drawing her sword in demonstration. It shines in the fluorescent lighting. "In most cases, you have to be."

Lapis slowly shakes her head. "Humans are weird."

That draws a laugh out of her. "So I've heard."

She's a bit amazed by her loyalty. She's only Steven's age- far from mature- and she's already deeply committed to protect them all. There's no double-cross or traitorous thoughts about rebellions or assassinations lurking just below the surface; just a still, calm outlook on life. If it's to protect them, she'll do it; death is just a pesky afterthought.

"Is Steven your liege?" She asks. She's heard the term before, but had thought it was in disuse.

Connie stiffens slightly. "He is." She says quietly. "But, more importantly, he's my friend."

Lapis opens her mouth to say more- although, what, she doesn't know- when a commotion makes itself known in the living room. Connie tenses and presses her ear to the door, but relaxes once she seems to recognize the voices. "The others are back." She announces, sheathing her sword.

"Others?"

"The other gems." She explained. "And Steven."

Lapis stares at her, long and hard, before finally asking the question that's been haunting her all week. "How long are they planning to hold me captive?"

"That depends." Connie answers calmly. "Are you going to attack the gems?"

"I _want_ to." She answers honestly, balling her fists. "But even I can tell it wouldn't be a very smart idea in my current situation."

She nods her head in agreement. "Going to steal the ocean again? Kill some humans? Ask Homeworld to send in reinforcements?"

"I told you, I'm not the least bit interested in humans. Homeworld has even less of an interest in me than I do them. I'm defunct, after all; can't understand any of their technology to use it to meet their ends."

Connie weighs her answer a long moment before humming. "Then you're free to go."

"What?" She scrambles to her feet. "But you-"

"I'm your _guard_ , not your captor. As long as you don't start causing trouble, the gems will leave you alone. Steven's orders. We can always redirect Homeworld questions to Peridot, after all."

Lapis hesitantly walks past the broken mirror and over to the door. Connie steps aside. "I think I'd like to talk to them. Not because I _want_ to, but because I need to know the ' _conditions_ '-" She spits the word. "I'm supposed to follow." She gives her a look of silent panic. "Will you..."

"I'm your guard, Lapis." She repeats. "The gems will understand if I stand by your side."

Lapis nods, swallowing. Connie falls in line behind her, hand resting comfortably on her sword.

The bathroom door swings open.


End file.
